Thursday, April 25, 2024 | St. Lawrence County, NY
MASSENA – State police hope to determine and release the identity the female body found in Massena Aug. 29 within the next 7 to 10 days, according to Capt. Robert LaFountain. “We want to be very …
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MASSENA – State police hope to determine and release the identity the female body found in Massena Aug. 29 within the next 7 to 10 days, according to Capt. Robert LaFountain.
“We want to be very very careful in this process,” he said. “We have to make sure that we are very certain who this is. We have to get it right. There is no room for speculation.”
On Aug. 29, the body was recovered off state Route 420 in the Town of Massena.
At the time, the cadaver was too decomposed to make an identification and investigators were searching through missing persons data to look for clues.
The body was subsequently said to be that of a female, but nothing more was said by investigators.
LaFountain said national and even international missing persons databases were searched and cross-referenced as part of the investigation. LaFountain said DNA testing and body identification is far more complicated in reality than it is on television.
“It’s a rather involved process. We can’t speculate. You can imagine that there are families on pins and needles wondering what has happened to their loved ones,” he said.
Police said they have not ruled out the possibility that the body may belong to Lacey Yekel, of Massena who has been missing since June.
Friends and family of Yekel say state police have taken a DNA sample from Yekel’s mother Bonnie LaMay, but state police would not confirm that information.
“At this point it is not for release,” LaFountain said.
Sources close to Lamay, say the ordeal has taken a toll on her.
LaMay was charged Oct. 14 with second-degree aggravated harassment: communicating a threat, troopers said. Authorities said they received a complaint Oct. 13.
LaFountain said state police are still following leads regarding Yekel and have not ended the search for her.
“That is still something we are looking into. As a result of information getting out there we have received a lot of new leads.” He said.
LaFountain said state police have not classified the death of the unidentified Massena woman as a homicide at this point, but they have not ruled out foul play.
“That is something that will be determined by our forensics team,” he said. “It will be something that happens after we have identified the body,” he said.
